Shoe polishing machine



Sept. 23,1947. w. A. EDINGTON 2,427,768

SHOE POLISHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 MV/z'amflidz'zryzazf WITNESSES; INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS 1 Sept. 23, 1947. v w, ED GTON 2,427,768

SHOE POLISHING MACHINE Filed Au 22, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 MV/zkzm[dz'zvy/azr IN VEN TOR. WITNESSES:

Sept; 23, 1947- w. A. EDINGTON 2,427,768

SHOE POLISHING MACHINE I Filed Aug. 22, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 NVEN TOR.WITNESSES: Z7

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 23, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOEPOLISHING MACHINE William A. Edington, Shreveport, La.

Application August 22, 1942, Serial No. 455,786

3 Claims.

My invention relates to shoe shining facilities, and has among itsobjects and advantages the provision of an improved shoe shining machineembodying a coin controlled electric circuit for setting the motor inoperation upon insertion of a coin of predetermined denomination.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a machine in accordance with myinvention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear view portion broken away for the purpose ofillustration;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken along the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 66 of Figure3; and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit.

In the embodiment selected for illustration, I make use of a cabinet IB-having a frame structure I2 to which are secured side walls I 4 andmounted on caster wheels I6. The top structure of the cabinet includes achamber I8 for contain ing shoe polishes and polish applying brushes andthe like. Two doors 20 are hingedly connected to the front wall section22. The front of the cabinet includes an intermediate inclined wall 24and a lower wall 26.

Inside the cabinet It and upon its floor 28 is mounted an electric motor30 having its rotor shaft 3'2 provided with a small grooved pulley 34for driving a V-belt 36. Belt 36 passes around a, somewhat largergrooved pulley 38 keyed to a line shaft 48 supported in bearings 32mounted on the floor 28. A second small grooved pulley 44 is keyed tothe line shaft 40 for connection with a V-belt 46 passing over a largegrooved pulley 48 keyed to a shaft 50 having a crank 52 formed therein.Shaft 59 is rotatably journaled in posts 54 secured to the floor 28.

An arm 56 has a bearing 58 connected with the crank 52 and is providedwith a channeled crosshead 60' at its opposite end within the channel ofwhich is fixedly connected one end of a shoe shining cloth or web 62.Web 62 extends upwardly from the channel 60 and is supportedintermediate its ends by elastic straps 64 and Ma, the former beinghooked over ends 66 on a horizontal frame member 68 located above thefootstand BI], and the latter being connected to a frame member 6Blocated forwardly of the footstand. To the depending run I0 of the cloth62 is secured a plurality of elastic straps 12 having .2 their endsclamped between a plate I l and the floor 28 through the medium of boltsI6.

The cloth 62 is of U-shaped configuration, when viewed according toFigure 3, with its bight I8 of sufficient length to provide room betweenthe two vertical runs of the belt for easy entrance of the shoe beingpolished. One of the straps 64 is secured at its lower end to the bight18 at the transverse center of the bight and near the rear edge thereof.The remaining straps 64 are secured at their lower ends to the bightnear the rear edge of the bight and the sides of the web 62. Thesestraps normally support the rear edge of the bight l8 sufiiciently abovethe footstand and in such manner as to enable the shoe to beconveniently placed 0n the footstand within the bight. The strap 64which is secured to the bight 18 at the front edge of the bight,supports the front edge of the bight slightly above the footstand 80 andnormally prevents the rearward displacement of the bight with respect tothe footstand.

The footstand or stool 80 is secured to the lower wall 26 and one of theposts 54, which stool is arranged substantially horizontally and eXtendsunderneath the bight I8 of the polishing cloth. Upon the heel margin 82of the stool 8D is mounted a U-shaped spring 84 having one end of a rod86 engaging the uppermost leg 88 of the spring 84, the leg 98 of thespring being provided with an opening 92 through which the rod 86extends loosely. The rod also extends loosely through an opening 94 inthe heel margin 82 and extends downwardly for connection with the blade96 of a knife switch 98 mounted on the floor 28.

One end of a tension spring I00 is connected with a pin I 02 attached tothe rod 86 and the other end of the spring is connected with a pin I04attached to the bottom wall 26. Spring I00 exerts a pull on the rod 86when pressure is released from the spring 84 for opening the switch 98.

Inside the cabinet II] is mounted a coin box I86 having a hinged bottomHi8 which may be-locked in its closed position by inserting a padlockthrough the hasp I10. A coin chute I I2 has communication with the coinbox I66, and thewall 24 is provided with a coin slot IIII through whicha coin may be inserted.

Coin chute H2 includes front and rear walls H6 and II8, respectively,located between side walls I20. The walls of the coin chute are formedof insulative material, and the rear wall II8 is hingedly connected atI22 with the wall 24. To each of the Wall H6 and II8 is secured aconductor I22. Figure 6 illustrates the normal relative positions of theconductors I22, wherein the conductors converge downwardly so as to beslightly spaced one from the other at their lower ends. The spacing issuch that when a coin, such as a one-cent piece, is dropped into thechute II2, the coin will electrically bridge the conductors I22.

To the wall H8 is fixedly secured a trip arm I24 having its-outer endresting on a spring stop I26 in the nature of a strap having one endfixedly secured to a frame member I28. A tension spring I30 has one endanchored to the coin box I06 and its other end secured to the trip armI24 for holding the latter in engagement with the spring stop I26, thearm I24 being provided with a bumper element I32 contacting the springstop.

A shaft I34 is rotatably supported in bearings I36 mounted on a framemember I38, and a ratchet wheel I39 is secured to the shaft I34 and isengaged by a pawl I40 pivoted on a lever I42 having a hub I44intermediate its ends rotatably mounted on the shaft I34. A second pawlI46 engages the ratchet wheel I38 and is pivotally mounted on a bracketI48 mounted on a frame member I50. Thus counter-clockwise rotation ofthe lever I40, when viewing Figure 6, imparts similar rotation to theratchet wheel I38, and the ratchet wheel is restrained from clockwiserotation by reason of the pawl I45.

A tension spring I52 has one end connected with the lever I42 and itsother end attached to a vertical frame member I54. One end of a cableI56 is attached to the lever I42 and passes around a grooved wheel I58attached to the stool 80, see Figures 2 and 3, and downwardly forconnection with a pin I60 attached to the channel 60. A tension springI62 has one end connected with the pin I60 and its other end anchored tothe stool 80. 1

To the shaft 40 is secured a bufilng wheel I 64, the wall 26 beingprovided with an opening I66 normally closed by a cover I68. Wheel I64extends partially through the opening I66. A switch I10 is mounted onthe wall 24.

Figure '1-illustrates the electric circuit, wherein the wires I12 and I14, which may be in the nature of a conventional electric cord adaptedto be plugged into a wall socket, respectively lead to one of theconductor strips I22 and the motor 30. A wire I16 connects with theother conductor I22 and with a terminal I18 of the switch 98, the blade96 being adapted for engagement with the terminal I18 when the rod 86 ismoved downwardly. A wire I80 connects the terminal I18 with a contactI82 of the switch I10, the contact I84 of this switch being connectedwith a wire I86 electrically connected with the terminal I88 to whichthe blade 96 is also connected. A wire I90 leads from the terminal I88to the motor 30.

In operation, a coin is dropped into the chute H2 and the toe portion ofthe shoe, while on the foot of, the wearer, is placed on the stool 80. Ahinged door I92 provides accommodation for the foot when placed inposition on the stool. The toe region of the shoe fits snugly within thebight 18. As heel pressure is applied to the spring 84, the rod 86 ispressed downwardly for closing the switch 98 to energize the motor 30,since the coin bridges the two conductors I22. Energization of the motor30 imparts rotary motion to the crank 52 for drawing the polishing cloth62 back and forth on the toe region of the shoe. The elastic straps 64and the straps 12 yield to accommodate reciprocatory motion of the arm56 4 connecting the polishing cloth I56 with the crank 52.

Continued operation of the motor 30 actuates the lever I40 for rotatingthe ratchet wheel I38 one revolution. To the shaft I34 is fixedlysecured a, trip I94 arranged in the path of the spring stop I26. As thetrip I94 engages the spring stop, the latter is flexed downwardly, andas the trip passes beneath the spring arm, the spring arm recoils andstrikes the trip arm I24 for pivoting the wall II8 away from the wallII6, thereby releasing the coin lying in engagement with the twoconductors I22 for breaking the circuit through the motor.

When polishing the sides and back portions of the shoe, the cover I68 ismoved to an open position for exposing the buffing wh'eel I64, so thatthe shoe may be manipulated about the bufling wheel for polishingpurposes. When employing the bufiing wheel I64, the circuit is closedthrough the motor 30 through the medium of the switch I 10 so that themotor may be operated independently of the switch 98.

The rear wall structure of the cabinet I0 comprises two doors I96 hingedat I98 to two corners of the cabinet. The doors I96 lend access to theinterior of the cabinet.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate myinvention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adaptthe same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. A shoe shining machine comprising a polishing web folded to provide ashoe-engaging bight, a plurality of depending elastic straps attached tothe machine for yieldingly supporting the bight, the lower ends of twoof the straps supporting the medial portion of said bight, the remainingstraps being inwardly inclined and relatively spaced from one of saidfirst mentioned straps to properly support and position said bight on ashoe, a footstool for supporting the shoe with its toe portion engaginginside said bight, resilient means attached to one end of said web, amotor, and a crank means operatively connected with said motor and thesecond end of said web and coacting with said resilient means for movingthe web back and forth on the shoe.

2. The invention as described in claim 1 wherein a foot-actuated switchis positioned on said footstool to control the movement of said web bysaid motor.

3. 'A shoe polishing machine comprising a polishing web of invertedU-form, a footstand having its forward portion arranged within the bightportion of the polishing web, a frame member located above the footstandbetween the ends of the sole portion of the latter, a plurality ofelastic straps suspending the rear edge of said bight portion from theframe member, one of said straps being connected to the transversecenter of said bight portion and the remainder of said straps beingconnected to the bight portion near the sides of the web, said strapsholding the rear edge of said bight portion normally above the footstandat a distance sufiicient and in such form as to enable a shoe to beconveniently placed on the footstand within said bight portion, a secondframe member located forwardly of the footstand, an elastic strapsecured to said second frame member andto the front edge of said bightportion at the transverse center of said portion, said last named strapsupporting the front edge of said bight portion above the footstand andnormally '5 preventing the rearward displacement of said bight portionwith respect to the footstand, and means for imparting motion to theweb.

WILLIAM A. EDINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Schmalpuss Apr.14, 1925 Browne Aug. 16, 1904 Thomas Apr. 19, 1927 Chambers June 6, 1922Guglielmello Nov. 27, 1923 Uden Apr. 3, 1934 Stratton July 20, 1909

